ocean-life Chapter 131 The Bald Man's Actions
Chapter 131 The Bald Man's Actions
With the plan finalized, the three immediately began their operation.
As the three men took action, the opinions within the convoy gradually began to change.
Qin Baodong took the lead. He found several middle-aged women who were known for gossiping and, taking advantage of the evening's rest, approached them and sighed in a low voice, "Aunt Wang, you know what a mess this has been... Sigh, we saw that she was a young girl all alone, and we took pity on her and let her stay in our car. Who would have thought it would end like this... We were almost implicated by her too. Oh well, it's all in the past, let's not talk about it anymore." He then slipped her a small pack of damp but still usable tissues, his face filled with regret and lingering fear.
The women took the items, their eyes flickering. They didn't say anything, but when they chatted with the others, their tone became less certain: "Speaking of which... Qingqing herself is incompetent, relying on others to support her. How can she last long in this world?"
On the other side, Cen Maohai personally took action and found the men who used to frequent Qingqing's place.
He didn't beat around the bush; he directly pulled out half a crumpled pack of cigarettes and two expired cans of meat and placed them in front of the other person.
"Brother, what's past is past. Rumors are circulating in the convoy now, and that's bad for everyone." He lowered his voice, his eyes carrying a knowing, threatening look mixed with a hint of "we're in this together" sentiment.
"About Qingqing's situation, didn't she later... admit it? Ultimately, what we did was to ensure her survival, a trade-off, right? If anyone asks, we need to stick to the same story: it was all to reduce the burden on the convoy, and she agreed to it. Otherwise, if the rumors spread within the convoy, it won't look good for anyone!"
The men looked at the "benefits" before them, weighed the weight of Cen Maohai's words, and, coupled with the bald man's overt and covert threats, exchanged glances, silently nodded, and accepted the gifts.
They all readily agreed, saying, "Brother Cen, don't worry! That bitch Qingqing offered herself to customers just to survive, but then she got dissatisfied and went to other car teams to leak information about our team. That kind of bitch deserves to die!"
"that is……"
……
After dealing with Qingqing's regular customers, Cen Maohai said to Qin Baoxi:
"Baoxi, come with me." Cen Maohai turned and walked towards their car.
He frowned, then pulled a rusty tin box from under the seat. Inside lay half a crumpled pack of cigarettes and a few compressed biscuits.
"Go find Widow Liu first." Cen Maohai took out two cigarettes and handed them to Qin Baoxi. "That woman's husband died long before the apocalypse. She's alone in the convoy with teenagers. She's timid and gossipy. Just watch from the side and see how I act."
In the open space in the middle of the convoy, several campfires had already been lit. The survivors sat in twos and threes around them, holding canned soup that had been simmering in various containers. Cen Maohai noticed that as they approached, the previously noisy conversations noticeably quieted down, and several wary gazes pierced his back like needles.
"Oh, Sister Liu, busy?" The bald man forced a smile, but the smile looked particularly out of place on his fleshy face, like a gaping scar.
Seeing the bald man come looking for her, she looked somewhat flustered. Although the bald man and his gang weren't exactly household names in the caravan, they were certainly notorious. So, Widow Liu's eyes darted around, "Brother Cen... Brother Cen..."
"What's with the 'Brother Cen'? We're all just unfortunate people!" Cen Maohai sighed, the sigh lingering as if carrying a thousand-pound burden. He plopped down on the broken tire next to Widow Liu, burying his face in his hands. "Sister Liu, do you think I, Cen Maohai, am just destined to be unlucky in this life?"
Widow Liu was stunned, suddenly wondering what Cen Maohai was up to.
"When the three of us switched vehicles, Qingqing cried and begged us to take her with us. She said that if we hadn't taken her, how could she possibly outrun the monsters? Hearing her say that, I felt so soft-hearted." Cen Maohai's voice was hoarse as he ran his fingers through his thinning hair. "I thought, our convoy has it tough, more people means more strength. But what about her? She can't carry anything, she was so scared when she went out to collect supplies that she wet her pants, and when she came back, she complained about the food..."
He looked up, and his eyes were actually a little red—from the chili powder he had secretly rubbed with his fingers.
"Sister Liu, you're a sensible person." Cen Maohai took out the half-pack of damp matches from his pocket and stuffed it into Widow Liu's hand. "Back then, she discussed with us the idea of inviting some older brothers to exchange for some supplies! She said, 'Brother Cen, I don't want to starve to death.' I even advised her at the time, saying, 'Girl, think about it again...'"
"I...I've heard some things..." Widow Liu stammered, her eyes involuntarily drifting towards the box of matches. These things were quite valuable back then.
Qin Baoxi watched in stunned silence. Seeing Cen Maohai's heartbroken expression, he quickly lowered his head, his shoulders trembling as if trying to suppress a sob.
"Now look what's happened! Now that she's dead, everyone's saying we drove her to her death." Cen Maohai slammed his fist on the tire, tears and snot streaming down his face. "But heaven and earth bear witness! She ate our food, lived in our house, and then she went and seduced someone outside to ruin us... Sister Liu, tell me, am I wronged? I almost lost my life!"
Widow Liu unconsciously clenched the box of matches, and said against her conscience, "Brother Cen, you're right. You shouldn't have trusted her in the first place. I could tell at a glance that woman was no good. And you were so good to her back then, Brother Cen. I never thought that woman would try to kill you in the end!"
The bald man gave her half a box of matches, and since Qingqing had died that morning, he wasn't afraid that saying this would offend her.
Besides, if she didn't go along with what the bald guy said, she would probably offend him today. In addition, the bald guy had given her benefits, so she would definitely go along with what he said! She's not stupid!
"Right!" Cen Maohai slapped his thigh, as if he had found a kindred spirit. "I never expected that Qingqing had been harboring ulterior motives all along! Our team was almost killed by her! If the Little Sheep Team had defeated our team, Sister Liu, you can imagine what would have happened to us..."
He deliberately left his sentence unfinished, pausing for a meaningful moment.
Widow Liu's face was pale, whether from being threatened by the bald man or for some other reason, it was unclear: "I knew it... I knew something was wrong. Brother Cen, don't worry, I know what to say."
The sorrow on Cen Maohai's face vanished instantly after he left Widow Liu's place.